Denver Mayor Michael Hancock is bringing together a big group of powerful movers and shakers, some of them potentially masked, for a fundraiser Wednesday night.

The Mardi Gras-themed event — masks encouraged — has a list of “co-chairs” that include only big names: developers and home-builders, oil and gas executives, real estate executives, bankers and insurance executives, a hotel magnate, a DISH Network executive, top-dollar PR spinmeisters, high-powered lawyers and lobbyists, and Hancock’s chief of staff, Janice Sinden. Before joining his administration, Sinden was a high-powered connector as the leader of Colorado Concern, a group that represents prominent business leaders.

Denver mayor Michael Hancock. (Denver Post file)

Add to the list “honored guest” Gov. John Hickenlooper, Hancock’s predecessor as mayor of Denver.

It would be tough to single out just a few of the co-chairs for Wednesday’s event without dimming the wattage of others. Suffice it to say, these are folks who get things done behind the scenes in metro Denver and beyond. The guest list makes this potentially the biggest political fundraiser of Denver’s quiet municipal election season.

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet spent his 14th wedding anniversary at the Pepsi Center with President Barack Obama and about 300 fired-up Democrats — including one who booed the lawmaker when he said he hadn’t bought his wife a gift.

Susan Daggett and Michael Bennet were married Oct. 25, 1997 in Arkansas.

Bennet had the honors of introducing Obama, who was in town for two campaign fundraisers Tuesday night at the Pepsi Center.

“I cannot tell you how good it feels to be out of Washington, D.C., and how good it feels to be in Denver, Colo., with my wife, Susan Daggett, to celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary tonight,” Bennet said, to cheers.

“I want to thank the president for flying in for the occasion,” Bennet said, to laughter.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.